Everyone must have been frustrated because an unknown song kept ringing in his head. If you know some of the lyrics or can mutter the song a little, there are a few ways you can try to find the title of the song. Use a search engine or song recognition site to try it out. If you hear the song on the radio, check the charts to find a song that fits.
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Method 1 of 3: Using Online Search Engines
Step 1. Find memorable lyrics
Close your eyes, and concentrate on remembering the words of the related song. You may remember phrases like "if heaven and hell never existed" or "I know I would hate to love you." Use quotation marks to narrow the search. The more lyrics you remember, the greater the chances of finding them.
Try not to use keywords that are too common, such as “which”, “and”, “or”, “but”, etc. These words can return irrelevant search results
Step 2. Add context in search keywords
Perhaps, you heard this song on a TV show or movie. Try searching for "songs from the television series Grey's Anatomy, season six" or "songs on The Voice for February 2017." Check the movie's soundtrack or soundtrack to find an instrumental song.
Step 3. Try another spelling
The searched song may repeat certain names. If your spelling doesn't return results, try again with an unusual spelling. For example, try "Kjiersten" instead of "Kiersten", or "Zach" instead of "Zack".
- Make sure there are no misspelled search keywords.
- Sometimes pop songs are intentionally misspelled/abbreviated words like " tonite " instead of " tonight " or "2" instead of " to " (for).
Step 4. Use the advanced search option
Most online search engines offer advanced settings, if a regular search returns no results. You can limit your search to pages published in a given year, or search for pages that include all the words you're looking for. You can also eliminate specific words or lyrical phrases, if the answer is not found in the most popular results.
Method 2 of 3: Using Sites and Apps
Step 1. Ask in music forums
Enlist the help of fellow music lovers to find your song. Search music forums for specific genres, such as metal or instrumental. Create a message that includes as many details about the song as you can remember. Include lyrics, phrases, other relevant context, and anything else you can remember.
- WatZatSong and Name My Tune are popular music search sites.
- Popular social news sites like Reddit host a forum called “r/tipofmytongue”, where users can ask for help identifying unknown songs.
Step 2. Download a music recognition app
If the song is currently playing in a restaurant or bookstore, there are apps that let you record the song and upload it. The app then matches the recorded song to its database and displays the results. Some of the popular music recognition apps are Shazam and MusicID.
Step 3. Enter the melody into a music search site
Music recognition apps may not help with the search if the song has stopped. If you have a microphone, some music sites allow you to sing a melody or tap the beat again and upload it to the internet. Try singing or tapping a melody into the device's microphone. This site will compare the recording with the song database and display the match results.
Midomi, Tunebot, and Musipedia allow users to upload their recordings
Step 4. Visit the artist's site
If you know the artist of the song and only the title is unknown, check the artist's official website and look at the songs in the album list one by one. Enter each song title into a music site like Spotify or iTunes until you find the song you're looking for.
Method 3 of 3: Browse the Charts
Step 1. Search the current charts for new songs
If you hear this song on the "Top 40" or "Greatest Hits" channels, chances are the title track can be found on the latest charts. Check the music charts in your city or country for best results. Some of the most popular charts in between. Billboard, Official Charts, BBC Radio 1, and Prambors Radio.
Step 2. Check the charts of a specific genre
Some songs are popular among certain subcultures so they are not widely known. If you can't find the song you're looking for on the "Top 100" site, try searching the charts for a specific genre, such as country, rap, Latin, and other genres.
Step 3. Find charts from the past decade
Maybe you've heard “old school” songs that were popular ten years ago or more that won't make it to the new charts. If you know when the song was released, look up charts from generations past.
Billboard allows users to view the Top 100 charts from 1953 onwards. Other sites have catalogs of Top 100 lists since 1940
Step 4. Call a local radio station
Call or email the radio station where you heard the song, and ask for the title of the song playing on a specific date or time. Include relevant information that you can remember. Some radio stations also post their schedules online, which you can use.
When traveling, you can use the radio finder to find info about a particular station
Tips
- If you can't find a song from a Google search, it may have the wrong lyrics or details. Try simplifying the search. Eliminate questionable details.
- If you find the lyrics but don't recognize the song, chances are you've heard a cover song (another artist's song being sung back). Search for covers of related songs until you find a known version.
